England’s newest hero Henry Pollock divided fans by pulling a defiant face and licking his lips as the All Blacks performed the famous Haka.
Steve Borthwick’s England immediately marched forward as New Zealand started their iconic pre-match ritual ahead of the face off at Twickenham, which saw England serve up a historic win.
England formed a semi-circle around the halfway line, and Pollock, who was displaying a fierce gesture and also had a smirk on his face, began to tease his opponents by licking his lips.
Pollock is not the only one to grab headlines with his response to the iconic pre-match ritual. Some of rugby’s biggest names have previously found themselves in hot water in their reply to the Haka.
Although many teams stand in a line and respectfully observe it, there have been examples of teams trying to gain a psychological advantage, most notably in the World Cup semi-final in 2019.
Players receiving the challenge are banned from crossing the halfway line, as per World Rugby rules, but on that occasion England contravened those regulations, and instead advanced towards the All Blacks in a V formation.
Six players – Joe Marler, Billy Vunipola, Mark Wilson, Elliot Daly, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Ben Youngs – appeared to stand in the All Blacks half.
Marler was the closest to the Kiwis as he stared down the Haka, while Owen Farrell was caught on camera smirking at the New Zealand haka ahead of the semi-final
Referee Nigel Owens told England to move back and they were later hit with a £2,000 fine for breaching tournament rules ‘relating to cultural challenges’, although they did win the game 19-7.
And there were no Kiwi complaints. In fact, the then head coach, Steve Hansen, said afterwards: ‘The Haka is a challenge and it requires a response. I thought it was brilliant.’
In 1991, during the Rugby World Cup semi-final, Australian legend David Campese completely disregarded the pre-match Haka.
Instead of facing the All Blacks, Campese remained near the try line, performing kicking and ball-handling drills.
Wales have also responded in the past, notably in 2008 during a test match in Cardiff when there was a famous prolonged stand-off after the Haka, as the hosts refused to back down until the Kiwis did.
France linking arms and walking towards the All Blacks at Eden Park before the 2011 World Cup final was similarly memorable.
There was also significant controversy ahead of England’s clash against New Zealand last November.
Back then, Joe Marler, who was still playing at the time, hit the headlines after he labelled the Haka as ‘ridiculous’ and called for it to be ‘binned’.
Marler’s original post had said: ‘The Haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous.’
This infuriated the public and several politicians in New Zealand, with Marler’s ‘lack of appreciation for tradition’ slammed, while another figure accused him of having a low IQ.
Marler subsequently deleted his X account, before soon resurfacing on the platform – and he then later rowed back on his comments and expressed regret.
‘Hey rugby fans,’ he posted on X at the time.
‘Just wanted to jump on here and say sorry to any New Zealand fans I upset with my poorly articulated tweet earlier in the week.
‘I meant no malice in asking for it (the haka) to be binned, just want to see the restrictions lifted to allow for a response without sanction.
‘How good were the Cockerill/Hewitt, Campese, France ‘07, Tokyo ‘19 or Samoa vs England rugby league responses? Create some entertaining drama before kick off.
‘My flippant attempt at sparking a debate around it was s***house and I should have done better at explaining things.
‘I’m grateful for the education received on how important the Haka is to the New Zealand culture and hope others have a better understanding too.
‘Now roll on 3pm on Saturday for a mega rugby occasion. England (to win) by 6pts. I’ll get back in my attention seeking box now. Big Love x.’
England went on to win Saturday’s encounter 33-19 following an impressive display as they secured their 10th successive victory.
The last time England beat New Zealand at Twickenham was 13 years ago.
Ahead of the match, England Fans at Twickenham could also be heard singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot as they attempted to drown out the noise from the Haka.
And some fans on social media were loving Pollock’s boldness in his response, with one posting: ‘Henry Pollock with his very best “put the camera on me” face during the haka.’
Another said: ‘Look at Henry Pollock’s face during The Haka,’ before they added a laughing emoji.
A further fan added: ‘Henry Pollock vs the Haka. Made for the big stage.’
Before an additional user quipped: ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot during the Haka. Henry Pollock’s head facing the All Blacks.
‘The two teams face to face just a few metres apart. How good it is. How beautiful it is!’
However, others were less than impressed and were quick to hit out at the 20-year-old.
One said: ‘I really do hope the @AllBlacks absolutely smash this arrogant bunch from @EnglandRugby led by Henry Pollock!’
Another irritated user chimed in with: ‘I hate to take a pop at a kid, but Henry Pollock really does do my head in.’
An extra individual then said: ‘Henry Pollock licking his lips. I get why people hate this kid,’ with one fan adding: ‘Henry Pollock. What a t***. What was that during the Haka?’
Others did continue to defend the 20-year-old though, as one added: ‘Rugby fans: we really need to appeal to a younger generation and have players with personalities. Also rugby fans: Not like that, Henry Pollock is so overhyped and arrogant.’
